


Summer Changes

by CoffeeKristin



Category: Hockey RPF, Sports RPF
Genre: First Love, M/M, Summer Camp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-06-24 10:39:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15628932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoffeeKristin/pseuds/CoffeeKristin
Summary: This - this was a dance they’d done last year. Turning fifteen had certainly changed things for Patrick, and he was starting to think that sixteen had done the same for Jonny.  He’d kissed a few girls this year, but nothing he’d ever felt for them compared to the fireworks in his belly when he thought of kissing Jonny.





	Summer Changes

**Author's Note:**

> A little nonsense for the Hawks Summer Trope Bingo, for the square: Summer Camp/Hockey Camp. Inspired by spending an entire week at MB Ice Arena watching my kid at her summer hockey camp lol. Sorry for the weaksauce title, just couldn't come up with anything better.
> 
> Graciously beta'd by [thundersquall](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thundersquall).

It was cold in the lobby, and the contrast with the steamy heat outside made Patrick shiver a little; despite the early hour, it was already almost eighty outside, humid and uncomfortable, dark, heavy clouds promising rain in the not-too-distant future. Patrick hitched his gear bag higher on his shoulder and followed his dad down the aisle to the registration station. They shuffled to the back of the line and Patrick finally let himself peer around.

He’d been so excited about this camp all summer, couldn’t wait for it to be the end of July so he could finally be back in Chicago again, but since they’d arrived late last night, he could feel prickles of anxiety creeping in. It’d been almost five months since he’d seen Jonny and a solid year since they’d done more than exchange brief hellos at the various tournaments they’d played in, always on opposite teams, always with too many other people around. They’d texted for awhile but even that had trickled off as school and their seasons stole free time from them, and while they’d kept up their streaks on Snapchat, liked each other’s posts on Insta, Patrick wasn’t sure if Jonny did that out of habit or because he wanted to.

Patrick swallowed hard when a couple of taller guys in line moved and he caught sight of a familiar set of shoulders. Jonny was slumped against the wall next to the entrance to the locker rooms frowning down at his phone. His arms and shoulders were bare, a loose-fitting tank paired with his hockey shorts and the long socks Patrick’d chirped him about mercilessly last summer. His baseball hat was on backwards, and he had a cluster of pimples across his forehead where his helmet sat, a feeling Patrick knew only too well. He looked tan and a little taller than last year. He looked good.

Patrick was debating whether to call out to him when Jonny looked up as though he could sense Patrick was staring at him and straightened, a bright smile blooming on his face.

“Kaner!” Jonny called, his voice loud in the cavernous lobby, making the whole line turn to look at him. Jonny blushed a little and bit his lip, walking over to Patrick quickly. "Hey, Pat. Uh, hi.” He stopped awkwardly in front of Patrick, and they stared at each other for a minute before the absurdity made Patrick laugh. Jonny knocked his arm, and Patrick pushed back at him, and suddenly they were half hugging, half wrestling.

Patrick’s dad nudged him out of the line with a curt, “just wait for me over there, Jesus, you’ve been a pain in the ass all day.”

“Isn’t he always a pain in the ass, Mr. Kane?” Jonny snickered with Patrick’s head in a lock.

“True enough,” his dad said, rolling his eyes. “Now get.”

“Fuck you, asshole,” Patrick said once they were off to the side, dropping his bag, and pulling Jonny into a real hug. He definitely didn’t inhale the scent of him. And Jonny definitely didn’t squeeze him a little harder, hold him a little longer than he probably should have. “Sucking up to my old man, or are you just a giant weirdo? Oh, wait... ”

“Oh, yeah, yeah, sure, big words from the real slim shady, huh?” Jonny laughed, and pushed him away, smacking Patrick’s shoulder after he let go, like he didn’t want to.

 _“Please stand up, please stand up,”_ Patrick sing-songed, and Jonny threw his head back and laughed.

“Ugh, never do that again,” Jonny said, rubbing his knuckles against his ears.

 _“I'm Slim Shady, yes I'm the real Shady, All you other Slim Shadys are just imi-bbbtng- “_ Patrick said, the end garbled thanks to Jonny putting his hand over his mouth.

“Thanks, Tazer, that was giving me a headache,” a voice chimed in from next to Patrick, and he looked up to see Patrick Sharp standing there.

“Sharpy!” Patrick said, wriggling out of Jonny’s hold and pulling Sharpy in for a quick, one-armed hug. 

Sharpy patted him hard on the back three times quickly, then stepped back and adjusted his hat. “You assholes ready to work this week?”

“Duh,” Jonny said, dropping an arm over Patrick’s shoulders. “Gonna kick the coaches asses in the scrimmage on Friday. Including yours.”

“You know it, baby,” Patrick agreed.

“ _Baby_ seems accurate since you’re both infants who don’t have a chance this summer,” Sharpy rejoined, gesturing to the line of campers. “Need I remind you that Duncs and Seabs are staff now?”

Sure enough, they were sitting behind the registration table, Brent looking harried as he dealt with a crying kid probably no more than ten. 

“So, you know, just prepare yourselves for defeat now,” Sharpy continued. “Can’t wait to see those two put an end to your reign of terror.”

“They can try,” Patrick replied, confident. “Ain’t no stoppin’ this train, yo.”

“Oh god,” Jonny said faintly, dropping his head onto Patrick’s shoulder. “We need to work on your smack talk, dude.”

“Nah, nah, the little man’s cute,” Sharpy said, ruffling Patrick’s hair. “Now get yourselves to locker room four, assholes, I don’t have time to babysit you out here while you do… whatever it is you two were doing before.” He gave them a significant look, one that made Patrick’s cheeks burn and Jonny’s arm drop off Patrick’s shoulders. “Save that for somewhere less public, ya dig?”

“What…” Patrick didn’t even have time to chirp Sharpy for his outdated lingo before he was gone.

“Uh,” Jonny said, shuffling a step away from Patrick. “Sorry, I wasn’t - I didn’t - uh...”

“Yeah,” Patrick replied to the floor, mortified that Sharpy had seen something between them. Oh, God, that meant Duncan and Brent knew. And Patrick didn’t even know if Jonny felt the same or if Patrick’s giant crush was visible from space and maybe Jonny didn’t even like guys, which - 

“Pat - “ Jonny said, interrupting Patrick’s panic. He made an impatient noise and dragged Patrick into a corner spot that was a little more secluded. “I didn’t mean to - I mean - you know that I, uh. Want to. Um. I wanted to ask you if you - ”

Patrick wasn’t sure if Jonny had stopped speaking or if he just couldn’t hear him over the roar in his ears. This - this was a dance they’d done last year. Turning fifteen had certainly changed things for Patrick, and he was starting to think that sixteen had done the same for Jonny. He’d kissed a few girls this year, but nothing he’d ever felt for them compared to the fireworks in his belly when he thought of kissing Jonny. He pulled his bottom lip into his mouth and bit it, curling his fingers into a fists to keep from reading out to Jonny again.

Especially when Jonny looked at him and his eyes dropped to Patrick’s mouth. His cheeks reddened and Patrick caught his breath when Jonny looked back up, his eyes dark and intent.

“I - “ Patrick started when his father called out from the side of the table, a wad of papers in his hands. 

“Pat! Get moving, team meeting in two minutes in the locker room.”

“Coming, Dad,” Patrick replied, frustrated. Jonny was chewing on his lower lip, red-faced and looking a little unsure of himself, so Patrick grabbed his arm. “Hey, you know - I’m - it’s yes, okay?”

“Yeah?” Jonny’s smile pulled his lip free, widening when Patrick nodded, willing him to understand.

“Yeah,” Patrick affirmed, his cheeks feeling like they were blazing. “Yes, to whatever it was you were gonna ask me.”

“Awesome,” Jonny breathed. 

Yeah, things had changed.


End file.
